Chefs wanting a Super Bowl recipe that Julia Child would approve of need look no further than this black-bean chili from the historic Cafe Beaujolais. Child once ordered the dish while visiting in the ’80s, helping spread word of the restaurant far beyond its home in Mendocino.

The current owner and chef of Cafe Beaujolais, Julian Lopez, includes the recipe in “The New Cafe Beaujolais Cookbook,” which publishes Feb. 3 from the Collective Book Studio. The book chronicles decades of French-inspired coastal Californian cuisine at the restaurant, which opened in 1968.

Margaret S. Fox, former owner of the cafe and a contributor to the cookbook, writes: “Surely no old-time Cafe Beaujolais preparation is found in more fans’ freezers around the country than this one, a stick-to-your-ribs vegetarian chili so satisfying and easy to make. To my amazement, Julia Child ordered this homey dish when she visited the Beaujolais in the mid-1980s. Topped with grated cheese and served with warmed corn tortillas, it was a healthy, economical meal that we wound up making by the boatload for a very long time once word got out about Julia’s choice.”

Yield: Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

4 cups dried black beans

3 cups whole canned tomatoes, crushed

2 large yellow onions, finely chopped

1½ cups finely chopped green bell peppers

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons cumin seeds

2 tablespoons Beaujolais Blend Herbs (see below)

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1½ tablespoons paprika

1/2 cup finely chopped jalapeno peppers (canned are fine)

2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 pound cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, grated

1/2 cup finely chopped green onions

2/3 cup sour cream

8 sprigs fresh cilantro (and if you really like cilantro, then 2 tablespoons more to sprinkle on top)

DIRECTIONS

Sort through the beans and remove the funky ones and the small pebbles. (They’re always there. Our prep cook didn’t like doing it, either.) Rinse well. Place the beans in a large pot and cover with water until it’s several inches above the top of the beans. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook until the beans are tender, about 1¾ hours. You will need to add more water if you start to see the beans.

When the beans are cooked, reserve 1 cup of cooking water. Drain the beans, then return them to the pot and add back the reserved cooking water.

Place the cumin seed and Beaujolais Blend Herbs in a small pan and bake in an oven at 325 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes until the fragrance is toasty.

In a skillet over medium heat, sauté the onions, green peppers and garlic in the oil with cumin seeds and herbs, cayenne pepper, paprika and salt, until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and chiles. Add all to the beans and stir well.

To serve, place 1-ounce grated cheese, then 1¼ cups hot chili in a heated bowl. Place a spoonful of sour cream on top. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon green onions and place a sprig of cilantro or about ½ teaspoon chopped cilantro on the sour cream. Serve warm.

Yield: Makes about 2 tablespoons

INGREDIENTS

2 generous pinches dried basil

2 generous pinches dried oregano

2 generous pinches dried thyme

1 generous pinch dried tarragon

1 generous pinch dried rosemary

DIRECTIONS

Mix the herbs together and put in an airtight jar.

— Recipe and photos reprinted with permission from “The New Cafe Beaujolais Cookbook” by Julian Lopez (The Collective Book Studio, February 2026, $40)